Forget the Pro Football Hall of Fame for a second. Without them, Dent may not even have played in the National Football League.

Lester was Dent’s head football coach at Murphy High School in Atlanta. Gilliam was his defensive coordinator at Tennessee State University. He will be Dent’s enshrinement presenter.

Gilliam helped send more than 100 players to the NFL. Dent, Claude Humphrey and Ed “Too Tall” Jones are the notables.

Dent is the first player from Tennessee State elected to the Hall of Fame.

“He did a great job,” Dent said of Gilliam earlier this year in an Atlanta Constitution interview. “That history needs to be told.”

Lester’s history will as well.

Dent didn’t consider playing high school football when he got to Murphy. He joined the team his junior year and became an all-state selection.

Dent’s family moved to suburban Decatur, but his ties with Murphy High School were never broken. Lester made sure of it.

“William Lester gave me a ride to and from home,” Dent told the Constitution. “Either him or his wife. They went way over and above what they needed to do to get me back and forth to school at Murphy.”

Lester was responsible for Dent landing at Tennessee State.

Dent was an offensive tackle in high school, but he stood 6-foot-4 and weighed no more than 190 pounds. Gilliam, who recruited Georgia, offered no interest after Lester showed him films of Dent.

“I said ‘I can’t use him,’ ” Gilliam said.

Lester would not be discouraged. He drove Dent to Tennessee State after fall football practice began. The two walked on the field together. Dent carried a packed suitcase.

“He says, ‘You recruit the Atlanta area?’ I said, ‘Yes I do.’ He says, ‘Well, he’s from Atlanta. Here he is. He’s one of yours.’ I said, ‘I did not sign him.’ He said, ‘Well, you got him.’ And he walks off.”

Dent was Gilliam’s. In the long run, the longtime Tennessee State assistant couldn’t be happier to coach him. Dent redshirted his first year as he gained weight and became one of Gilliam’s biggest success stories.

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“He taught me how to play and study the game,” Dent said. “He taught me about life and football.”

Dent was a three-time All-American at Tennessee State. He finished his collegiate career with 39 sacks, including a season-high 14 in 1982.

Lester’s insistence on taking Dent to Tennessee State and convincing Gilliam to keep him will never be forgotten.

“When I spoke at his funeral, I told the people that I’m going to make sure that everybody knows that William Lester was key in sending me away to college,” Dent told the Constitution. “ ... I owe him, his wife and his family so much.”